Catching up with The Curtis Mayflower, James Keyes, ‘MAGNETIC’

There have been some exciting things afoot for a number of local and regional musicians.

First up, local soul-rock supergroup The Curtis Mayflower — featuring Pete Aleksi on guitar, Duncan Arsenault on drums, Jeremy Moses Curtis on bass, Brooks Milgate on keyboard and Craig Rawding on vocals — has beat its goal on a Kickstarter campaign for the release of the band’s debut album.

According to the band’s Kickstarter page, the musicians “traveled to Lamoine, Maine, with engineer Dave Westner and set up shop in an old farmhouse. With 12 channels of analog gear and some nice mics, 11 songs were recorded live in a room. One take each. The result is a batch of songs that capture a moment of sincerity in great Rock and Roll songwriting.”

But even though the band’s met its goal, it’s not too late to throw some money at them. Perks on the Kickstarter campaign include everything from digital downloads to VIP concert passes.

And if you need more convincing, just listen to the band’s smoldering blues song, “Last Kiss.”

The Curtis Mayflower isn’t the only local music heavyweight with new work in the wind. Singer-songwriter James Keyes has a new album out, “The Middle,” which I’ll probably have more to say about later, but for now, I’m very much digging on his rock-fueled blues number “Darkness Comes Creeping.”

It’s a hard-driving song, wrought with righteous anger and apocalyptic fervor, and it’s reason enough to get excited about the album (even if I weren’t already.)

Lastly, on a tangential note, Boston musicians and filmmaker Michael J. Epstein and Sophia Cacciola — both of the Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library and Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling — have started a Kickstarter campaign for their second feature film, “MAGNETIC,” which is set to start filming in December.

The film, according to the Kickstarter page, is a movie about mix tapes, sheep and the end of the world, which will star Boston singer Allix Mortis in all the parts. Which is odd sounding, admittedly, but the duo’s first effort, “Ten,” was strange and fun, too, so hopes for this one are high.

There are a number of perks on the Kickstarter campaign, including downloads of the movie, but the most intriguing one is, starting at a $60 donation, “A limited-edition physical hand-made mix-tape copy of the score and soundtrack music from the film.” Which is totally old-school. (Victor D. Infante)